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It’s a fear that has not been far beneath the surface of the reauthorization debate for some time now.

I’ve written about in this blog and in the print issue of Better Roads, and now it’s broken the surface: the question is whether a future Highway Trust Fund (HTF), mostly still filled by user fees/taxes that are mostly levied on fuel, will continue to be used ONLY for highways and bridges. Or, will politicians find a way to divert some it away from its sole purpose, thereby leaving the road and bridge building and maintenance industries even more strapped for guaranteed long-term funding.

Three heavy-hitting senators are apparently trying to use funds from the HTF in a whole new way. The industry, with a powerful and united front, has sent the Senators a testy and crisply-argued reminder that this is an asinine, short-sighted, counter-productive, poorly thought-out , unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky, half-baked idea (my words) in this letter. It also cointains a full, impressive, list of signatory associations and organizations.

Perhaps you might consider writing your own letter. The Senators apparently have a cloudy idea of the needs of America’s transportation infrastructure.